Fender Pawn Shop '51

Model Name: Pawn Shop™ Fender® ’51
Series: Pawn Shop Series
Color / MSRP* / Part # :
Black
$1,149.99
026-6002-306
Blonde
$1,149.99
026-6002-307
Body

Body Material: Alder
Body Shape: Stratocaster®
Body Finish:
(0266002306, 0266002307)
Polyester
Neck

Neck Shape: "C" Shape
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Black Dot Position Inlays
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (24.1 cm)
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Polyester
Nut Width: 1.650” (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (64.8 cm)
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt Neck Plate
Truss Rods: Standard Truss Rod
Truss Rod Nut: 3/16" Hex Adjustment
Electronics

Pickup Configuration: H/S
Bridge Pickup: Enforcer™ Humbucking Pickup (Bridge)
Neck Pickup: Texas Special™ Single-Coil Neck Pickup
Pickup Switching: 3 Position Rotary Toggle Switch
Controls: Master Volume with Push/Pull Coil Split, 3-Position Rotary
Hardware

Hardware Finish: Chrome
Bridge: '70s-Style Hard-Tail Stratocaster Bridge
String Nut: Synthetic Bone
Miscellaneous

Strings: Fender® USA Super 250L's, NPS (.009-.042 Gauges)
Unique Features: Telecaster Neck, Hardtail Bridge, HS Pickup Configuration, 3-Postion Rotary Pickup Selector Switch, 2-Knob Chrome Control Plate
Accessories

Case Gig Bags: Deluxe Gig Bag

UTILIZATION

What an interesting idea - Fender decided to make a hybrid of their two most iconic designs, the Stratocaster and the Telecaster. This Pawn Shop '51 is a Strat in body shape and neck pickup, yet a Tele in neck, bridge, and controls. Fender added a humbucker in the bridge for some more modern versatility, and then throw on a pickguard resembling the Telecaster Bass pickguard. It is a bit strange to look at, but it is a neat guitar to play. The neck is super comfortable like a Tele, and the guitar has great tuning stability and resonance like a Tele. Yet the impression one gets from sitting down to play this is firmly Strat! It's a bizarre headgame this guitar played with me, but very rewarding at the same time.

SOUNDS

The sounds are simple - Strat Texas Special pickup in the neck (think SRV tones, which this has in spades), and a Fender Enforcer in the neck (brighter, more bold and aggressive, good for hard rock). The middle position resembled the bridge setting yet tamed the treble output and added some more smoothness. This axe could play literally any style well.

OVERALL OPINION

It may be a bit strange to look at, but I am a fan of this guitar. It's good that Fender is starting to push some design boundaries, looking into its storied past and drawing inspiration from multiple sources, yet still incorporating some modern features. I'd like to see a Bass VI version of this guitar!

The Pawn Shop line from Fender is a great new series of guitars. This series of guitars is based on what you might find in a pawn shop in the mid 70s. These guitars are what people would have been putting together in their garages at home back in the day. They are essentially parts bin guitars that Fender feels represent the custom guitar attitudes of the time. Fender has created some cool designs for the Pawn Shop series based on what some crazy luthier would have made with a few broken Fender guitars. This guitar is the Pawn Shop '51. This guitar is pretty much a copy of a Squier they put out a few years ago called the 51. I remeber these guitars sold like crazy and many people modded them even more. This guitar has the basic strat shape and a full face pickguard like you would find on an early 50s P-bass. It has a Texas Special single coil in the neck and an Enforcer humbucker in the bridge next to the hardtail. The controls on this guitar are cool. First is the volume knob that has a push pull pot for coil splitting the bridge pickup. Where you would expect the tone knob to be is actually a rotary pickups selector. The knob has a notch in the middle so you know when you got it 50/50 The neck is a 21 fret tele style maple neck.

UTILIZATION

The neck on the 51 is pretty nice. The frets are bigger than they would have been back in the day. It has a 9.5 radius so it is kinda vintage there but the big frets help level it out. It has your basic Fender profile. I find most Fender necks to be pretty similar. With the strat body you get typical strat upper fret access. The neck joint gets in the way if you are playing on the highest frets but it is not bad.

SOUNDS

The guitar is a little limited in versatility but the sounds it can do are good. The Enforcer humbucker in the bridge is nice and thick. It has a good sharp pick attack and good clarity. When you split the humbucker it still retains some bite and you can get a single coil bridge tone similar to that of a telecasters. The Texas Special in the neck is a common pickup now in Fender guitars. It is the standard when it comes to hot rod single coils. It is hot and bitey but can still ring like a bell. The neck pickup really smooths out when you add some gain to the sound. Both pickups together give you a nice funky tone with the big twang from the neck position and the beef from the bridge pickup.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar is really nice but I kind of wish they just kept it as a Squire version was like 200 dollars and this is like 600 dollars and it is pretty much the same guitar. They both were made overseas and the quality is not that much different. If you are looking at getting this guitar I recommend you try and find one of the Squier versions first to try out it might meet all your needs for less than 1/3 of the price.

Japanese manufacture (lutherie perfect), it is a cross between a Stratocaster (alder body) and a Telecaster (neck 21 frets profile U).

Electronic side: A Fender Enforcer Humbucker (splittable) in bridge and a Fender Texas Special Single coil.

It has two knobs: A volume that is more based on push / pull to split the humbucker. And a 3-way switch that makes for the position of microphones.

NEGATIVE: it lacks a tone.

UTILIZATION

I find it very handy, the weight is like a Fender Strat (in the middle of what electric guitars), the handle is very nice and the access to the treble is very easy.

For sound, with a splittable humbucker and a Texas Special, it's five configurations that can only lead you to the sound you want.

You can really broad aim with this guitar, despite its versatility, it has a minimum character.

NEGATIVE: split the humbucker is hot to perform in full play

SOUNDS

The sound is very good (good violin + good mics, there's no secret) and is also highly versatile. Clean, Country, Blues, Rock, Hard Rock, Metal.

Thanks to splittable humbucker, you can travel between his "fenderien" and "Gibsonian".

OVERALL OPINION

I for 1 year and I'm still happy.
This guitar is a mid-range for a ridiculous price.

I have already played and owned (or still has): Gibson LP Custom 60s, Fender Strat Standard USA and Highway One Strat Fender Mex Standard Classic 50's + + Blacktop Jaguar, Godin, Fernandes, Ibanez AR Aria Pro II Matsumoku, Lag Roxane, etc.


That, after all that, this Pawn Shop 51 is for me part of that which I had the greatest impact: A look original and beautiful at the same time (the blonde, we see the wood grain through the color and varnish ), very handy and very versatile sounds beautiful.

What I like most: very good price / quality ratio. Beautiful to look at (especially blonde), finishing at the top. Very easy to handle. Very good sounds and "key to everything." Microphones and their various combinations.

What I like least: No tone (but I knew ...).

Made in Japan
Strat body, maple neck Tele, Strat 70's easel
21 frets, 1 microphone in texas special neck and a humbucker in bridge splittable Enforcer
1 volume knob switch with push / pull to split the humbucker
1 button 3 positions selector micro
No dial tone, this is the only small complaint we had to

UTILIZATION

Besides its look beautiful blonde with black pickguard and confusing at first glance (what a body with a strat neck TV? Ah yeah this is actually simpa!), Ease of use is perfect for me. The handle is a real treat and I find it quite fast and very accurate, it's simple I seem to have progressed in a second as soon as I take after playing with one of my other guitars (though not ridiculous: a gibson les paul and a fender strat special Billy Corgan U.S.).
Ergonomics of a strat, ie nickel, access to the classic acute.
We easily obtain the desired sound.
Only gripe on use: it is not necessarily easy to quickly switch to the bridge pickup in humbucker split at the end of a solo, for example because you have to pull hard enough on the volume knob.

SOUNDS

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound!! So I say yes yes and yes!
I was looking to start a telecaster to complete my set of guitars (with a les paul and a strat), especially for the single coil twang of the bridge. Having tried a few, my luthier me out and it says "try it you'll see ..." me "mouai this is not a real tv plus it is not a tele bridge and it is a humbucker, I'm not say much ..." Even when I try and there thunderbolt! I started well on the Enforcer in the bridge split single coil and voila the twang I was looking for! I run the Can not Stop the riff red hot with a lil crunch amp and I frusciante sound! Ok, push the lil button to switch to humbucker and launch a lil solo wow, it sends it right!
Texas special in the neck is a pleasure also for blues, great, more mellow but still banging the same time, I love it!
In short you will understand, I love all the sounds that come out of this guitar, it has a real personality.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had two months and I do not spend more, live Japan, manufacturing quality and the violin for me have nothing to envy my American, just a pity that there was not a 22nd freight but it is really to quibble.
Both versatile guitar but has a great personality.
Great for rock, blues, funk, reggae and even intermediate position.
The satus pass can be fine without going to the big metal but it is not its purpose.
Unbeatable value for money (currently € 400 at thomann), at this price it's really a gift for that quality.
If I lose, I will order again in a heartbeat!